As you implied it is probably too early to give impressions on the DX90, but in my previous comparison, I mentioned that IMO the X5 has a little better power reserve/dynamics at this point giving a little fuller sound on some songs with more natural bass notes. The X5 is has effortless dynamics while the DX90 can get a little Sabre tinny at this point. I also feel that the X5 has a blacker background where the DX90 is wider, more layered, and airy. The X5 black is contrasted by a wider euphoric soundstage/signature with the DX90. Given those two findings, my NT6pro is liking to be paired with the black background a little more as it complements the bell like clarity it excels at. However, that DX90 euphoric sound is really drawing me in with the NT6pro as well. Bottom line is that they are a little different and I love both and while best is relative, it really changes song by song for me depending on the song type and dynamics.

I never found/find the DX90 lacking in power or a hint of it, unless it is something like the HE-6. Otherwise I never get clipping or compression. Also, it does take a long burn-in to fully realize the potential of the Dx90 IMO.

Their courier service must be having a hard time sending DX90s to SG. I just called DHL and unfortunately they don't have any delivery truck available for the holiday but assured me they are delivering it tomorrow between 10AM - 1PM.

I have been in contact with iBasso for the last 3 days.

Quote:

Hi,
First of all, I apologize again for the slow shipping.
I have called our courier for many many times, and told them we would stop doing business with them if they cant proceed the shipment on time. However, this didnt work. This is out of our control. We can do nothing except saying sorry to you.

I'm staggered that they managed to sell out their first run stock so quickly, especially since there was no official advertising/pre-order before the actual release. I wonder if they really did have 1k units on the first run.

For the guys in Singapore, it sucks that the shipping companies are messing you about like this. But take heart, on just about every other thing relating to headphones you guys have massive advantages on most of us in the rest of the world.

Disclaimer- This is my first review here so excuse me if I misuse terminology. I have only "burned in" these players for a short time if that matters to you. Preliminary evaluation with Shure SE-530 and a pair of ATH-M50 amplified only by the player which are used because these are my primary “on the go” headphones

I will continue this review with my evaluation with my HD-650 later. I will not be using my Denon AH-D2000 since they are far from neutral. I can only objectively do AB back and forth comparisons for about an hour or so at a time.

I am not a fan of vague descriptions so I will use more specific examples from specific songs. I prefer to do AB comparisons with instruments that I know.

The DX90 is clearly the winner here. The difference is size and weight is not vast but very noticeable, the DX90 is much more comfortable to hold and use. The X5 does have a very heavy beefy well made quality to it, while the DX90 has a more plastic feel (think Samsung galaxy phones). I actually do not mind the plastic. The use of the 3 buttons and touch screen of the DX90 is a far more of a pleasant experience than the buttons & wheel only approach of the X5. I found I was able to navigate to my music with much greater ease with the DX90. I like adjusting the volume with my left thumb so the X5 wins for that but a big drawback is that they put the power button to wake it up on top (no buttons are on the right), which makes it awkward to wake up with one hand. The DX90 has the power is on the left and volume on the right making one handed operation much more pleasant. I also like how the DX90 located the headphone jack on the bottom.

2. Firmware build & stability.

X5: Virtually problem free, but not the most user friendly interface. I wish the wheel would speed up the more you turned it.

DX90: Buggy. Many FLAC files are not playing all the way through & at least one firmware crash so far. However, the user interface is more friendly than the X5, mainly because the use of the touch screen.

Not going to spend too much time here since improvements are nigh

3. Sound quality (The reason we are all here):

I will start off by reiterating that both players should be put on high gain and that the equalizer sucks equally bad for both players so I listen to all music in flat FLAC format.

Both players sound very nice and it ultimately will come down to preference.

X5 – A little more laid back, not quite as good of separation of instruments, more beefy in the lower middle range, much more natural and accurate sound reproduction of musical instruments though the overall sound is a little muffled compared to the DX90.

Specific Examples

Track #3 of White Lighter (Young Fathers)- The song starts off with some amplified acoustic guitars and rolls into a shaker with violin and multiple vocals. The reproduction of the guitar sound good in both case though you might find the Ibasso to represent it a little brighter (Think Taylor vs Martin but not exactly). The drums kick in with clearly more meat in the X5 sound signature, the extra power in the amp section is apparent here. The shaker kicks in and sounds almost electronic in the DX90 in comparison to the X5, which sounds more natural. You can hear the nuisances & stronger down beats better with the X5. The violin also sounds a little more natural with the X5 to my ears. When the back-up singers kick in the music gets more complex and the wider sound stage and separation of instruments clearly kick in with the DX90, which clearly shows it’s superiority in this department.

Track#6 of White Lighter (Lake Mix)- The song starts again with acoustic guitar. The guitarist is sliding his hand up and down the neck while playing. After about a 1:30 a strong sustained distorted bass sound kicks in, mixed with other instruments. Once again, both players reproduce the beginning of the song with great ease. The DX90 is brighter & more open but lacking a little in the lower middle range. When the distorted bass sound kicks in the X5 shows off it’s meaty low end sound, but there is a snare & a couple of wood percussion sounds that are brought forward much more and separated better by the DX90 than the X5, although with a little less authenticity on the snare IMHO. A violin kicks in at about 2:30 which is again is much more forward in the DX90 than the X5 but more natural in the case of the X5. At about 2:45 the violin hits some really high notes with intensity and it sounds downright shrill and completely unnatural with the DX90.

I will leave it here for now with my initial impressions. I hope it helps. I just want to say that the X5 has a really good, really wide, soundstage. It is just bested a little by the DX90. The sound is a little more natural in the X5 while listening to instruments which I have frequently heard live (I also have seen Typhoon live many times). The DX90 is overall brighter making the X5 sound muffled in direct comparison but the X5 is by no means muffled, just a little more restrained than the DX90. The bass is clearly more meaty in the X5 and it has a better representation in the lower end of the mid bass region than the DX90. None of this is to knock on the DX90, it is a fantastic player and if a wide sound stage and detail is your thing, and you are willing to sacrifice a slight decrease in accuracy, then is the player for you. I really want to like the DX90 sound signature better since I like it’s usability so much more but I think that will require a better pairing of headphones than I have right now.

I do not think the DX90 pairs well with brighter headphones and I think I will have a better opinion of it when I run it through my HD-650. TBD

I agree with Jamato in that the DX90 improves quite substantially after some hours. I'm 30 hours in now and both the X5 and DX90 sound a lot better. That Sabre treble sheen on the DX90 kind of goes away and the bass pitch definition has improved. It sounds more textured now. Man that Sabre bass is quick and fast holy. The X5 sounds less congested and muffled and starting to sound more open with slightly better resolution/detail. I'm going all the way to 200.

*Now if you don't believe in this kind of stuff that's cool bro. Just leave me and the other crazies alone. I'm leaving you alone too. I just wanted to share so the other crazies know.

I agree with Jamato in that the DX90 improves quite substantially after some hours. I'm 30 hours in now and both the X5 and DX90 sound a lot better. That Sabre treble sheen on the DX90 kind of goes away and the bass pitch definition has improved. It sounds more textured now. Man that Sabre bass is quick and fast holy. The X5 sounds less congested and muffled and starting to sound more open with slightly better resolution/detail. I'm going all the way to 200.

*Now if you don't believe in this kind of stuff that's cool bro. Just leave me and the other crazies alone. I'm leaving you alone too. I just wanted to share so the other crazies know.

I think I'm one of the crazies too as I found my stuff gets better over time

I have not given up on the DX90 yet and it will be interesting to see if my impressions change with use. I will keep an open mind. I honestly don't know if I believe in electronics burn in because I have never paid attention. (I certainly believe in headphone burn in though) I am also willing to admit that I suspect the DX90 will sound much better with my HD-650, which run a little more on the warm side.

Also I found the DX90 sounds much better when I don't accidentally plug my headphones into the digital out like I did when it first arrived :)